Emwonk

Greetings,

Long time BMW guy here; I went to look at another BMW and saw the private seller/licensed dealer had an s4 for sale too. I drove it and fell in love immediately.

I also have Obsessive Car Disorder. Marked by a mix of anxiety about making a good decision, and ignorance in a new car-brand environment.

Local seller offers this: 2013 Audi S4 Black LOADED FLAWLESS Warranty thru 2017. As far as I can tell, no fancy suspension (does that matter?). The factory stereo is just ok, but I hear the B&O is marginally better. 2 years of warranty, spectacular condition.

Or....Used 2012 Audi S4 For Sale | Sioux Falls SD

CPO car, a year older, prestige, maybe other options not lists clearly in the list on the dealer site. $4,500 more before haggling. Manual transmission. (Preferred on BMW. Same here in Audiland?)

My fun car will remain my pristine e46 m3.

The S4 will be my daily driver.

I am selling 2 other cars to swing this deal. One of which I love. So I need to get this right.

StumpJumper

I have a 2012 prestige manual without ADS (fancy suspension) so here are my thoughts:

ADS - I didn't particularly want it, IMHO stiff is too stiff, soft too soft, and it's more costly to replace if you are so inclined - some people love it though

stereo - only you can decide here, I am happy with it

manual - i special ordered my car with it, it was important to me and I'm happy with it, the only thing I really liked about the DSG was the exhaust fart

2012 vs 2013 - 2013 has a few aesthetic differences, a different steering wheel, and an updated NAV unit, those are all good things. 2013 also has electronic power steering and IMHO that's a bad thing. You'll have to decide what's important to you here - I chose steering over aesthetics.

One thing that most will say you need is the "sport differential" and I agree, my car has it and I love it. It's a torque vectoring rear differential that makes the car much more neutral and even prone to oversteer - with an M3 you'll probably want that vs the typical Audi understeer.

Emwonk

This is already a big help.

So it sounds like you would pass on the 2013 and get the 2012 manual?

And the exhaust thing .... Do I understand correctly that some Audi models pipe in an engine sound via the car stereo?

I want to avoid that...(nearly) the stupidist thing I've ever heard.

gforaker

You might be surprised to learn that BMW also now puts exhaust sound through the car speakers. You can lower the effect in the Audi by changing the setup and even eliminate it with a small effort. I have it minimized with the controls and hardly notice it. We have a 2015 and I can't compare to the earlier models, but agree that the sport differential is great in the twisties. If you don't take corners hard, it is not so important.

StumpJumper

2013 and up have the Soundaktor (fake piped noise) you can pull the fuse, disable it in VCDS (very handy software & usb dongle for manipulating the car's settings) or change the setting to make it minimal

like gforaker said, the new M cars all have it too

basically they want to make the car sound "sporty" while still having all of the road noise insulation that makes them comfortable

slasher016

2013 has quite a few updates that the 2012 doesn't, like bluetooth streaming, Google Maps MMI, flat bottom steering wheel, new pedals, etc. You should definitely look at both before deciding.

Emwonk

Ok now the fun and second guessing begin.

I bought the 2012 from South Dakota and I'm flying up there tomorrow morning first thing.

It is the car in my first post. I like the manual transmission, etc. They knocked a lot off the price.

I'll try to attach the sticker.

Did I do ok? I feel far better about this car than a 2013 premium with limited options.


Here is a text version of the options, not formatted by me.

Thanks to my new family.

Now...what mod to do first???

Thank you,

John

Technical - Dynamic trapezoidal-link rear axle, fully independent - ESC (Electronic Stability Control) Safety/Security - Driver and front passenger advanced two-stage airbag supplemental restraint system with passenger seat occupant sensor - Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH) in rear - Front and rear 3-point safety belts with automatic pretensioning, front belts with force limiters Safety/Security, continued - Driver and front passenger seat mounted side airbag supplemental restraints - Anti-theft vehicle alarm system and ignition immobilizer - Sideguard® curtain airbags Optional† - Ipod Cable For Audi Music Interface - No - Quattro With Sports Differential - Silk Nappa Leather Interior - Carbon Atlas Inlays - S4 Prestige ModelOptional, continued . Audi Adaptive Front Lighting . Audi Advanced Key . Audi Side Assist . Bang & Olufsen Sound System . Stitched-Leather Door Armrests In Fine Nappa . Rear Acoustic Parking Sensors . Audi Mmi Navigation Plus - Super Charged Badges - Front Filler Panel - Titanium Package- . Exterior Mirror Housings In Body Color . Black-Optic Exterior Package

safetywork

How exciting! I personally enjoy traveling to pick up my new (or used) car. Can't beat the feeling of a road trip to get acquainted with your new car. I rode the train to pickup my '13 S4 back in 2013....it wasn't far but it was fun.

Drive safe, enjoy the ride home.

StumpJumper

it's very similar to my order sheet, so great car

the first thing I did was VCDS mod it - that requires a VAGCOM and runs about $300 for a fully licensed cable, that's worthwhile if you're into doing your own maintenance

others will have a list of "must change" parts but I don't do that with my dialy driver sand I won't change out perfectly good parts until the oem ones start to break down

Emwonk

Thanks. I'll have a look at that.

Vag Mod eh? Marketing department used unusual naming criteria.

I do not want any dealer-detectable software changes or warranty-harming hardware that cannot be easily removed in the event of a breakdown.

I was spoiled with the 335i and its $450 Burger Motor Sports chip. It added 80 RWHP, power and other settings could be changed using the factory steering wheel buttons. It could be reset to stock power in 10 seconds. Those steering wheel buttons also would erase codes. I carried a few tools so I could remove the goodies in the event the car needed a tow. That BMS chip would make the rear wheels spin at 65 MPH and the car became extremely fun to launch. Unreal actually.

I will look into whether the same sort of enhancer exists for Audi. Your suggestion seems on par pricing wise. What does it do to hp and torque?

Like you I am not big on mods. Most mods that enthuse forum folks turn out to be a snore. My favorite-ever mods on my E36 M3 was a circuit I spliced into the sunroof motor so it would close the roof with one touch. And swapping the factory manual transmission fluid with Redline. MUCH smoother shifting.

Oh, and the supercharger. That was my favorite.

All other mods were more hype than hp.